WebProNews is a great source of getting all kinds of information about happenings over the Internet and online business. Below is an excerpt of a recent email message I received from them. I find it useful for anyone who wants to create an online business.
After reading this message, I decided to keep on my track; that is, being a 100% affiliate marketer and promoting products and services I like through article writing or other marketing techniques I mentioned on this blog like PPC. Why? Because it’ll take lots of efforts to create a trustworthy, professional online shopping website. Without concerted efforts or team work, it would be a daunting task for an individual to achieve his or her financial freedom earning a substantial income stream as an E-tailer. Okay, let’s get to the point. Below is an abbreviated version of the message I got from WebProNews.
Making a purchase online, especially a substantial one, can be a nerve-wracking process for a consumer. The primary problem, aside from price, is trust. Shoppers negotiate their relationship with the vendor in much the same way they negotiate relationships with any stranger: by seeking information. Trust makes all the difference, especially because trust becomes loyalty.
What an online vendor lacks (and what becomes a disadvantage) is one-on-one interaction with the customer. As such, the customer must put forth additional effort to find out more about a product for sale. Making this task easier can make all the difference in closing a sale.
According to GetElastic, an online retailer should strive to answer these customer questions ahead of time to reduce purchase anxiety:
- Quality of the product
- Quality and reliability of your customer service
- Will the item arrive on time?
- Will the product be as described or as appears on screen? Is it the right color or size?
- Will it fit? Is this item true to size?
- What if the product needs to be returned?
- Is this site secure (privacy, credit card information)?
- Is this really the best price?
Answering these questions can lead to more sales.
According to one survey, 76 percent of respondents cited insufficient product information as a reason not to purchase, 79 percent rarely or never purchase with incomplete information, and 72 percent will abandon a site for a competitor or further research, usually finding the product elsewhere.
GetElastic.com says the top ten aspects of the online purchase process rated as “very important” to consumers reflected just two prime consumer motivations: gathering information and customer support. Consumers want complete specs, and they want to know the online vendor will be there for them if something goes wrong.
This isn’t unusual human behavior, of course. Communication scholars love to toss about Uncertainty Reduction Theory, which has been around for over 30 years. According to this theory, humans follow a predictable pattern of information gathering when they encounter a stranger.
Uncertainty about the stranger causes anxiety and distrust, and so seeking out information is a natural way of decreasing uncertainty and anxiety, and of building trust.
E-tailers need to build trust by making sure information is available and easily accessed. Without face-to-face interaction and without the ability to compensate for that lack with complete information, the customer isn’t going to risk doing business with E-tailers.
